


Smoke All Around

by windfallswest



Series: Olin/Lands [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Last of The Jedi Series - Jude Watson
Genre: Baking, Fire, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 02:06:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windfallswest/pseuds/windfallswest
Summary: "All right, you can reconnect the alarm; the fire's out."





	Smoke All Around

"All right, you can reconnect the alarm; the fire's out." 

Ferus eyed the cloud of smoke lingering in Roan's kitchen and opened a window instead. Roan supposed they were lucky his roommate wasn't around; although she was a sublight pilot and often away for several days at a time, and only kept an apartment here because she was a native of Ussa and liked to spend what free time she had in the city, best of both worlds. In addition to splitting the rent, she'd wanted someone who could keep an eye on the place while she was gone, not to mention stocking the conservateur. 

It was a good arrangement. As long as Roan didn't burn the apartment down.

Roan rolled his eyes at Ferus, setting the baking tray and the carbonised lumps that were supposed to be biscuits atop the heating element. "So, tell me, how did those field rations usually turn out?"

"I warned you I didn't know anything about cooking." Ferus walked back over to stare resentfully at the contents of the tray, then turned to re-examine the recipe they'd been following. "I don't understand; we followed the instructions. There's still five minutes left on the timer. Is it possible the oven temperature isn't registering correctly?"

"I've never had any problems with it before." Not that Roan actually did much baking on his own. "Go ahead and put the second batch in; I'll scrape these off." 

"No stress," Ferus muttered, as much to himself as Roan.

While Ferus meticulously reviewed the instructions, Roan started chiseling the charred evidence of their failed first attempt off into the disposal. Out of the corner of his eye, Roan watched his serious face and deft hands portion and shape the dough. He triple-checked the heat setting and timer before putting in the loaded sheets.

"I know you're a perfectionist, but it's not the end of the universe if you make a mistake now and then," Roan felt compelled to point out, against his better judgement.

"My—master used to tell me the same thing." Ferus' expression plunged from wry to shadowed between one end of that sentence and the other.

Roan was caught by that minute pause every time Ferus mentioned his Jedi master, or the Jedi, period. _Which means everything in his life up until two months ago._

It was heartbreaking. Abandoning his scraping, Roan reached out and enfolded Ferus in his arms.

Ferus stood rigid, holding his hands out awkwardly to either side. "I shouldn't—"

"Of course you should," Roan disagreed. "I can't even imagine."

"But _I_ —"

"But nothing," Roan told him firmly. 

He held steady. Slowly, incrementally, Ferus relaxed into the simple comfort of Roan's embrace. Something best left unnamed thrilled through him when Ferus carefully threaded his arms around him in turn. 

They were both loath to break the fragile silence, but... "Did you set the timer?"

"Didn't you?" Roan asked. 

"I think this might be how we ruined the last batch."

Ferus joined him when he laughed, and Roan's heart melted further. He bit back a noise of protest as Ferus pulled away. Once he had reset and started the timer, he lingered over the controls, not quite looking at Roan.

"I keep thinking about kissing you," he blurted in a rush.

All of a sudden, Roan had trouble breathing.

"You're the only person I've ever kissed," Ferus added.

Roan could have guessed, but nevertheless he found himself struck speechless. He groped for the right thing—anything—to say that wasn't _let me do it again_. "About...me in particular? Or more the idea of kissing anyone?" He was unsuccessful at keeping the hopeful note out of his voice.

Ferus snuck a glance at him and then seemed unable to look away. "You."

Roan cleared his throat. "I think about that a lot, too."

Ferus looked down again. "But I'm not... I don't know what I'm doing."

"Hey." Taking a step closer, Roan gripped his arms. Ferus completed the ritual gesture like a man seizing a lifeline, in a way that was quickly becoming reflex between them. "Whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm there."

Ferus swayed in, drawn by his sincerity, lips parted in a mixture of desire and trepidation. 

Deliberately, Roan caught his gaze and held it. "No stress," he said softly, repeating Ferus' habitual admonition.

The tension on his face broke. Expression clearing, Ferus smiled that sweet, open smile that never failed to make Roan weak in the knees and kissed him. 

Roan moved to close the arm's-length distance between them, tilting his head after the first brush of lips to make a better angle for the next. For all that they were chastely closed-mouthed, Ferus' kisses made the world disappear around them. The remaining centimetre separating their bodies seemed to vibrate. Roan's heart beat like a vibrohammer in his chest, sending blood thundering through his ears. 

The timer beeped.

Roan felt like he'd just been dropped out of hyperspace. Ferus stiffened back up again instantly and spun around to check the biscuits. Roan watched him in fond exasperation, something twisting in his chest.


End file.
